Dad laying plaque outside Hull court to protest 'contact denial' of children and parents

The groups set off from Beverley Road and marched through Hull city centre before gathering outside Hull Crown Court
The groups set off from Beverley Road and marched through Hull city centre before gathering outside Hull Crown Court -Credit:HullLive


A man who believes the family court system is unfair is coming to Hull to protest contact denial between a parent and their child.

Andrew Teague is the founder of DADS (Dads Against Double Standards) and NAAP (National Association of Alienated Parents). On June 21, he plans to travel from his hometown of Swansea to Hull to place a plaque which he says is "in memory of fathers and mothers who take their life through contact denial".

He believes that many parents are "struggling with mental health and PTSD due to contact denial". He told Hull Live: "I founded DADS about nine years ago having gone through the family courts myself.

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"I started up DADS originally to help parents get through family courts and see their kids. It's difficult for parents all over the world. It's the same everywhere."

He previously marched through Hull with other members of DADS in 2017. Andrew said: "The problem we have is with coercive control, where children are used in one way or the other.

Peter Davies, Andrew Teague and Andrew Bridgen hosting the opening of NAAP in Westminster's Portcullis House
Peter Davies, Andrew Teague and Andrew Bridgen hosting the opening of NAAP in Westminster's Portcullis House -Credit:Andrew Teague

"There's nobody there to help them and most of these fellas have to litigate themselves. They don't get Legal Aid, they have to litigate in person and they have to learn as they go along what many lawyers have learned in four to five years."

Andrew said CAFCASS will advise for no contact between a child and a parent if there is an allegation of domestic abuse. "The first thing that they say is that any allegation of domestic abuse is a justified reason to stop contact," he said.

A plaque Andrew Teague plans to lay outside the Hull family court
A plaque Andrew Teague plans to lay outside the Hull family court -Credit:Andrew Teague

The problem with that, he claims, is that the abuse does not have to be proven.

He said: "It's on the judge's discretion, if a judge thinks that somebody has done it [domestic abuse] that's pretty much the finding against that person. Even if they find that the parent hasn't done it, then there's no backlash for the parent that made the allegations. Family court is an absolute minefield."

He added: "What happens is that one parent tries to go through mediation but they can't go through mediation if there are allegations of domestic abuse. Normally the domestic abuse allegations can counter the application to court for contact arrangement."

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